Expression and insensitivity
by Porcelain Evee
Summary: After losing everything in the city, Evee moves into the mountains to start a new life. She had expected to find a new beginning, but what she actually found was much more. Rating may change for later chapters.
1. Monday, Spring 1, Year 21

Chapter 1

She was alone. Completely alone now. It had been years since she had felt this way, but now it really was true. She had no one, they were all gone now and that's why she had to leave. Evee contemplated these feelings as she rode along on her pony, off into the distant mountains where she had heard there was open farmland. She had no experience farming, but she was smart, she had read books all about farming and animals when she was young. The notion of growing her own food, collecting eggs and milking cows had always been appealing to her. So now that she had no one left, there was nothing keeping her in the city. She was going to live her dream.

She had packed up what few belongings she owned and moved out of the old apartment. Too many memories and too much pain. She needed to start a new life, she wanted a new beginning and the small mountain town that she was headed to promised just that. As she was mulling over these thought in her mind, she was not paying attention to her pony or the road she was traveling on. What was once a cobbled road that lead from the city and through small towns was now nothing more than a dirt path winding through thick forest. She was torn from her thoughts by this sudden realization and the ominous rustling in the underbrush. For fear of bears she urged her pony to go faster, but she was not the only one startled by the rustling and soon her mount was galloping and she had lost control. The trail was narrow and winding so after a particularly sharp turn she was thrown from the pony and into the dark underbrush.

When she came to she was aware that she was lying on the path since she felt the dirt beneath her palms and the sharp stones digging into her back, but all she saw were the blurred figures of two individuals quarreling, over what she knew not. Evee slowly sat up, her head was spinning. When the two people realize she was conscious, they stopped their bickering and helped her to her feet. One of them was an elderly man with a kind face and a quick smile that seemed genuine. The other was a middle-aged woman with sharp stern features. After making sure she was okay, they each introduced themselves. The elderly man was called Rutger and it turned out he was the mayor of a small mountain town called Bluebell, in which the residents specialized in animals and animal products. While the sharp looking woman was called Ina and she was also a mayor of a mountain village, but hers was called Konohana and they specialized in growing crops. After learning about her desire to become a farmer, each offered her a place in their village. It seemed rather coincidental that each town had an abandoned farm on its outskirts…

After much contemplation, Evee decided that Bluebell was the town for her. She was always fond on animals and Rutger seemed like a much nice mayor than Ina. After her decision, Rutger gave her a warm smile, but Ina still made it clear that if she changed her mind she could move to Konohana at the end of any season. Rutger then bade Evee to follow him and then soon started walking down the mountain towards Bluebell village. As they walked, Rutger spoke:

"Hmm, Evee since you will be living in Bluebell, you should probably wear clothes that are more commonly seen. You don't want to look like an outsider do you?"

Evee had not thought of this, though now it didn't seem to matter. She had lost all of her clothes when her pony threw her and ran off and as she looked down she noted that what was once her favorite dress was now just a dirt-stained tattered mess. Though she was unscathed from her fall, it seems her outfit was not so fortunate. After seeing Evee's dismayed expression, Rutger gave her another warm smile.

"Don't worry, here, you can wear these. "

Rutger handed her a small package. Evee opened it to find an adorable red and yellow dress with apron and bandana, it looked European in style.

"I believe they are still in style and most importantly they are clean. You won't look a mess when I introduce you to everybody!"

This thought startled Evee, she was going to have to meet a whole village of people today. Evee was not a people person. Granted she had had a few close friends growing up, but as they got older everyone had moved away. It had been sometime since she had had to meet new people and try to make friends. She wasn't sure if she could remember how…

As these thoughts were going through her head, she failed to notice that they had reached the village outskirts and that Rutger had taken hold of her arm and was steering her down a small path. When Evee looked up, she was astonished to find that they were on a small run down farm. It had a small barn with pasture and a cute little chicken coop that had a little fenced in area so that the chickens could go out during the day time. As for places that looked promising for planting crops, Evee couldn't spot any areas that seemed suitable. This may be a problem. But her and Rutger were not alone on the farm. A short plump woman was standing next to the cottage door.

"Hello Jessica!"

"Hello Rutger, and who might this be? A new farmer?"

"Yes exactly! She has come looking for a new life as a farmer and I offered up this abandoned one. I know you had were considering it for your son, but I thought we should try to get some new blood into this village!"

After this Rutger went over to Jessica and whispered something in her ear that sounded an awful lot like,

"And who knows, he might end up on this farm anyway."

After this Rutger introduced Evee to Jessica and they both began showing the greenhorn around her new farm. To her surprise, Jessica and Rutger were even nice enough to give her house warming gifts. A cow which she named Milky, and a chicken which she named Clucky. Once Evee had been introduced to her new farm and her first animals it almost seemed as though Rutger was going to leave her to it. He began walking down the farm path with Jessica, deep in conversation with the rancher when it became obvious that he had briefly forgot about Evee and then suddenly realized his mistake. Rutger came jogging back up the path with a wide grin on his face.

"Sorry Evee! I almost forgot about you. Come on! You need to meet the village!"

Evee attempted to protest, but Rutger had a tight hold on her upper arm and she was wheeled away from her cottage and back down the farm path towards the village.

As the three of them walked, Jessica began talking about her store and how if Evee ever needed anything for her new farm animals or even if she wanted more farm animals, she should come there and they would take care of any of her needs.

It wasn't until late that night that Evee finally managed to make it to bed. She had met the entire village. Rutger had done all the introducing and the most Evee was able to say to any one was a murmured 'hello..'. Everyone seemed nice enough, but that Georgia girl seemed a little snobbish. Evee recalled that when Rutger introduced her to Georgia and they shook hands it seemed that Georgia was making a good attempt at crushing her hand. Perhaps the girl didn't know her own strength, but then again it also seemed as though Georgia was glaring at her for the rest of the visit. Evee wished she knew what she had done to upset her; she didn't want to have any enemies in the village she planned on living in for the rest of her life.

Despite the sourness displayed by Georgia, everyone else in the village was friendly and very welcoming. At the end of the tour, Rutger brought Evee back to her farm. During the walk, Evee had been relieved that she now knew everyone and wouldn't have to suffer through another introduction. Of course, that relief didn't last long.

"Well, Evee, I hope you grow fond of everyone in this village. I managed to introduce you to most of the villagers and I believe they will all be very welcoming. If you need anything, I live above the town hall and you can come and ask me anything."

"Rutger…"

"Yes, Evee?"

"What did you mean when you said that you managed to introduce me to 'most' of the villagers?"

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot. There is a young lad named Cam who lives with Howard and Laney at the Café. He goes off somewhere on Mondays. No one is sure where he goes, but there you have it. I'm sure you will meet him tomorrow. He's nice enough I suppose. Perhaps a little quiet, he's not adept at expressing himself, but I'm sure you will get along with him splendidly! Good night, Evee!"

"…Good night, Rutger…"

Evee entered her cottage then, it was the first time she had seen the inside. It wasn't large, but it was plenty big for her. The air was a little stale, as though no one had lived there in some time.

It was a lonesome feeling that Evee felt at that point. She sat down on the bed and pondered the new life that she was to lead. She had come to this village with no money and not knowing a single soul, yet almost all of them accepted her today. They all had smiled and welcomed her. They had even gotten her started on her farm by giving her a cow and a chicken. Such kindness and hospitality was never seen in the city. Though she may feel lonely at this point, she was optimistic that it wouldn't last.

Evee got into bed and the last thought on her mind was that of the mysterious Cam that Rutger had mentioned.

"Who is this Cam guy, and where does he go on Mondays? Will he be friendly toward me like Ash or will he try to hurt me like Georgia? I hope he's cute…"


	2. Tuesday, Spring 2, Year 21

Chapter 2

The following morning Evee awoke relatively late, she had slept in. Though, she soon discovered the reason why she roused. Someone was knocking on the door. Evee sprang from her bed and was soon presentable. Upon opening her front door, she discovered that Rutger was outside looking cheerful. After a long and informative chat with Rutger about taking care of animals and growing crops, Evee realized that it would be a rare moment indeed that she would get some time to herself in this village. It almost seemed as though Rutger were following her…

Despite the morning's events, Evee followed Rutgers instructions and did her best at taking care of her animals. After taking care of the chores, Evee decided she should try to become more acquainted with the town and surrounding mountain area so she set out to wander the village and become familiar with her new home.

As she walked by Jessica's animal store she caught a glimpse of Ash in the pasture with the animals. Evee stopped and watched him for a while. He was so good with them, it seemed as though he was able to communicate with his animals despite the fact that they couldn't talk. Evee wished she could do that with her cow and chicken. That morning's encounter was anything but pleasant. Despite her efforts to be friendly with her new animals it was clear that they didn't trust her yet and to be frank, it seemed that they were actually a bit afraid of her. But Evee didn't have time for such thoughts so she pushed them to the back of her mind. It was at this point that she realized she was still stopped on the road by Jessica's animal store. She had been lost in her own thoughts and she realized that she had been staring at Ash this whole time and now he was looking at her too. Ash had been in the middle of the pasture with the animals, but now he was moving closer to the fence, closer to her.

Evee suddenly became very red in the face as it dawned on her what he must be thinking. She wished she could run away and bury her face, but, not wanting to seem any odder than what was already clear to Ash, she approached the fence to chat with the handsome young rancher.

"Hey Evee! Whatcha doin'?"

"Umm, nothing much, I was heading into town to explore a little and get acquainted with the village when I saw you with the animals…"

Ash's expression darkened and his brow furrowed at this response.

"Yea… I noticed you had stopped on the road…."

At this comment Evee blushed a very deep scarlet and looked away, trying to think of something to say,

"Uh, yea, it's just that I don't think my animals like me much so I thought I might be able to learn something from watching you…"

Evee looked up into Ash's soft, moss green eyes as she said this, hoping that it would be a good enough excuse for her odd behavior. It was. Ash's expression smoothed, and he grinned.

"Geez Evee! If you needed help with your animals, all you had to do was ask!"

Ash brought her into the pasture and introduced her to all of his animals. He taught her how to approach them and that she should try and talk to them to calm them down. He even taught her how to properly brush and take care of animals.

"Here, let's go over to Bella here and I'll teach you how to brush her. "

As Evee and Ash approached, the cow looked warily at Evee, but upon noticing that Ash was with her, she no longer minded and continued on eating the grass.

"Okay, now here's a brush, hold it like this and starting from the top of her back, brush in a downward motion, like that."

Ash demonstrated the motion on Bella and she mooed happily.

"Now you try!"

Ash handed Evee the brush and she attempted to do what Ash had just done, but the cow somehow sensed her unease and move away from her. Evee turned around and looked at Ash hoping for some guidance.

"Don't worry, here, let's try again."

They moved toward Bella together. However, this time as Evee held the brush, Ash slipped his hand over hers. Though his glove still separated their skin Evee could feel his hard calluses through the fabric as they rested on top of her small hand. She could feel the strength in his fingers and her heart raced, but his touch was gentle as he guided her hand and the brush over the animal's body. Bella mooed appreciably. Evee had blushed deeply in response to Ash's touch and though her heart was still racing, she managed to meet his gaze as she thanked him for his help. His soft green eyes were full of kindness and a grin stretched across his face.

"No problem, Evee. If you ever need help with anything, feel free to ask!"

With that, Evee left the pasture and once again began her walk into town. As she neared the town square, she noticed that the sun was now high in the sky. 'Midday', she thought to herself, she was running late, she might not be able to check out the mountain today after all. It was at this point that she heard a scream.

"Eeee! There you are Evee! I've was just at your farm looking for you!"

It was Howard. Evee rather liked Howard, yesterday when they had met she could almost see the excitement bursting from him. He was very happy to see a new face in the village, but perhaps that was just so that he would have someone else to gossip with.

Howard was now jogging up to Evee, but she suddenly noticed that his face change from an exuberant smile to an expression of ill disguised disgust.

"Oh dear… don't you have a shower at your cottage? You look a bit of a mess…"

At this remark, Evees face fell. Her humble cottage did not have a shower of any kind and it seemed that while she was learning how to brush animals with Ash she had gotten rather filthy.

"No Howard… my cottage doesn't have a shower…"

"Oh my! Well then, how were you ever planning on getting clean dear?"

Evee hadn't thought about this, she supposed that she might manage to do it old fashioned style and heat water to be put in a tub or perhaps if she could find a clear stream that was well hidden she might be able to wash in that.

"Well, I hadn't though much on it, but I suppose I could find a tub and put some water in it…"

"Oh no no no. That just simply will not do. You can use the shower at my house until you get one installed in your cottage. Just because we are in the middle of nowhere doesn't mean we should have to live like uncivilized mountain people."

Evee considered the offer and decided that she would rather not have to heat water for a bath.

"That's really nice of you Howard, thanks. When I earn more money I can pay you for the hot water…"

"Oh Evee, don't worry about that. In this village we all take care of each other. We're all family here."

Evee smiled appreciably.

"Oh right! I almost forgot the reason why I came to see you this morning! Since it's going to be your first day working on the farm I figured you should start your day off right and have some breakfast at my café!"

Howard put his arm around Evee and was soon leading her into his café. Evee sat down at the table and Howard brought over some eggs and juice. The food was delicious, but her meal was interrupted when a young man came out of the café's back room. It was clear that he had just woke up, his clothes were slightly disheveled the light brown hair beneath his hat was messy.

"Oh! There you are Cam! Good morning!"

"Howard, who is this? She's sitting in my spot."

Evees face immediately reddened.

"Cam, her name is Evee and your breakfast is ready, just sit somewhere else."

"No. I'm going to open my shop."

The young man's teeth were clenched as he said this and he stormed out of the café, but not before glaring at Evee.

Evee, now feeling thoroughly awkward, tried to pay for her meal and leave the café, but Howard stopped her.

"Don't worry about him, he's just cranky and not good around new people."

"Yea…thanks again Howard"

Evee left the café feeling pretty down on herself, now there were 2 villagers who clearly did not like her. It was as these dark thought were circling in her head that she was overcome by the most wonderful aroma. She turned to see where the smell was coming from when she noticed the small flower stand next to the café. Evee had noticed that there was space on her farm to grow some crops, but wouldn't flowers be better? They smelled so lovely… It wasn't until she was right at the front counter that she noticed who was in charge of the shop, the rude young man from the café. Evee was going to walk away since she didn't want to upset him again, but too late, he had spotted her.

"Oh, um, hi. I…er… smelled the flowers and came over. Sorry about earlier…"

"You again? What do you want this time?"

"Well, um"

Evees face reddened, she wasn't good with confrontations.

"I wanted to buy some seeds…."

"How many?"

"Um, 5 I guess…"

"Here"

The young man shoved the seeds at her.

"You owe me 700G"

Evee hadn't earned much money yet, but she had enough to pay what she owed. Evee handed over the gold and thanked him, but he just turned away from her, making it clear that their conversation was over.

Thoroughly depressed, Evee headed back to her farm to plant her new seeds. Evee prepared the soil for her seeds. The work calmed her and made her feel better. Evee planted her seeds and noted the name on the package. Marguerite flowers, huh? She had never heard of them. She hoped they would be smell like the ones at the young man's shop. Evee's mind wandered, so what if he didn't like her, there were other villagers that she got along with. Besides, she didn't want to be friends with someone that could be so mean and unfeeling. She was new to this town, the least he could have done was acknowledge her existence and introduce himself.

Evee was still thinking about this as she left her farm and headed into the mountains. The cool mountain air soon made her forget about the mean young man, instead, she relaxed and foraged for plants and flowers that she could sell.

Evee was glad that she left the city. The clear blue sky and refreshing mountain air made her feel free and happy that she had found a village full of so many kind and welcoming people. Evee was heading down the mountain as the sun was setting, the scene made her feel at peace. She returned home after shipping her foraged items and put her animals away.

When she entered her cottage that night it did not feel as though she was in a strange place, it felt like she was home. Evee climbed into bed and thought about the day's events. In the future she was not going to let such trivial things get to her. She slept good that night, with dreams of a brighter tomorrow.


	3. Friday, Spring 5, Year 21

Chapter 3

Evee awoke early feeling refreshed. She had been living on the farm for only a few days, but she already had a routine down. Every morning she would wake up at 6 and give Charlie, her new dog, some attention. Though she had just bought Charlie from Grady's pet store, you wouldn't know it by looking at the two of them. From the outside looking in, it seemed that Evee and Charlie were the best of friends, as if they had been together for ages. Though Evee was glad to have a friend with her on the farm, Charlie was not an entirely selfish purchase, he helped with the farm work by bringing Milky out to the pasture when the weather was nice and putting her back inside at night. This was helpful since it freed up Evee's evenings so that she could forage in the mountains for wild plants that she could either sell or give to people as gifts.

That was another thing that had become a part of Evee's routine; she had started giving gifts to the villagers in a feeble attempt to make more friends within the village. This was, of course, contradictory to what her grandmother had always told her about making friends, that if they were only friends with her because she gave them gifts, then they were not really her friends… But nevertheless, it seemed an effective way to gain trust and friendship in this village.

After quickly getting into her little yellow and red dress, the one given to her by Rutger, she would grab her watering can and quickly water the few plants she kept on her farm. Though they were still very small, Evee was proud that she was able to grow the flowers she purchased from that jerk, Cam. Evee had grown plants before, but by no means did she posses a green thumb. Whenever she decided to keep a plant back in the apartment in the city it would either die within a few days or her grandmother would take pity on the thing and water it for her.

The memory of her grandmother brought moisture to her eyes, but she quickly rubbed it away. She missed having a family, but things were better now that she was forced to be responsible, right?

Evee looked down on the small delicate plants that would soon bloom into flowers and smiled. She felt that in growing them she was somehow rebelling against the rude young man who sold her the seeds.

After watering her plants, Evee grabbed her brush and milker and headed into the barn. As she entered she was greeted with a happy moo from Milky. Ever since she had had the private lesson on animal care with Ash, Evee had been getting along a lot better with her cow and, due to her new found confidence with animals, Evee had decided to purchase a lamb. However, the lamb was taking its time warming up to Evee, but this might have been due to Evee's slight negligence. After purchasing Charlie, Evee had assumed that he would herd both the cows and the sheep, but that was not the case. Evee learned this the hard way when the lamb did not get fed the first day she owned it since Charlie didn't herd it outside to graze in the pasture. So Evee and the lamb did not start out on the right foot. In addition to this, Evee also felt that the lamb resented her for the name she had given it. It seemed that the lamb did not appreciate the name 'Fluffy' since whenever Evee called her that, it looked as if it was trying to glare at her. Despite all this, Evee was determined to make the lamb like her and that was why this morning after brushing Milky and Fluffy, Evee gave the lamb a treat.

"There you go Fluffy! Try this!"

Evee dropped the treat on the ground near the lamb. Fluffy moved towards the treat and sniffed it before devouring it. Evee smiled as the lamb baaahhed happily. Evee was getting better with her animals, but she knew she had a long way to go. Every time she milked her cow, she would look uncomfortable so Evee was not confident in her milking skills. Thus far she had managed to use her milker to milk her cow, but she knew she must be doing it incorrectly.

Today was no exception, though Evee had been trying to milk Milky in a different way each day, it still seemed like the cow really disliked being milked and Evee couldn't help but feel it was due to her inexperience and lack of knowledge on how to properly execute the task. This was when it finally dawned upon Evee that she actually knew someone who could help with this problem.

'I can ask Ash to show me how he milks his cows! Then I will know how I'm supposed to do it.'

But it was as she was thinking this that Evee realized the flaw in her plan. Her face reddened as she thought back to the last time Ash had given her a lesson about animal care. Evee was still unsure about how she felt about the first encounter so she was hesitant when the possibility of a second arose. However, as she looked into her cow's large brown eyes she knew that she would have to ask for help for Milky's sake.

"Alright Milky, I'll go see Ash today and have him teach me how to properly milk you."

The cow seemed to understand what Evee had said because she responded with a happy moo.

So after moving her animals out into the pasture, with the help of Charlie of course, Evee set out to visit Ash and ask for help.

Evee arrived on the Jessica's farm around 8 am so she assumed Ash must be taking care of his animals by now. However, she didn't see him in the pasture and it was late for him to still be inside so she searched the property. In her search for Ash, Evee ventured into the old barn behind the shop. It was about the same age as hers, but it was considerably smaller with only enough space to keep 8 animals. Evee was sure that if she had a larger pasture she would be able to keep up to 16 animals on her farm, but the thought of having to be responsible for that many animals made her feel slightly queasy.

As her eyes surveyed the barn, she finally spotted Ash in the northeast corner. He was brushing a small lamb and it appeared to be quite fond of Ash. The lamb baaahhed appreciably when Ash finished brushing her and even followed him as he moved to brush the next animal. Evee was hit with a pang of jealousy; she wished that Fluffy was as fond of her as this lamb seemed to be of Ash.

Evee moved further into the barn and when Ash spotted her and began to approach she immediately felt butterflies rush into her stomach.

"Hey there Evee! How are you today?"

"Hi Ash…Um I'm fine, but I uh actually need a favor…"

"A favor huh? Well sure! Anything for you…"

At these words Evee's face turned scarlet and her palms began to sweat as her heartbeat quickened.

"Um…well it's just that my cow looks really uncomfortable whenever I try to milk her and…and I was hoping you might…"

Ash smiled broadly.

"You want me to show you how to milk a cow?"

"…yes, please."

Evee was still blushing when she lifted her eyes to meet Ash's. His eyes had a kind of calming effect on her. They made her feel almost tranquil. Her heartbeat had just begun to calm when Ash stepped forward and grabbed her hand. The sudden physical contact sent her heart into overdrive and her stomach began to churn.

"Alright, come over here to Anabelle. I haven't milked her yet so I'll let you try so I can see if you're doing something wrong."

This proposition made Evee exceedingly nervous, she knew she was going to do it wrong and she didn't want to look silly in front of Ash.

"Uh..actually I was kind of hoping just to watch and see how you do it..."

"Nonsense! This way will be much faster and I'll get to critique your form."

Ash pulled Evee closer to the cow and sat her down on the milking stool. Evee pulled her milker out of her bag and nervously fumbled with the tool. Once she had it in hand and was moving in to try to milk the cow, Ash stopped her.

"No, that's not how you do it. Here, hold it this way."

Ash readjusted her hands around the milker. The contact yet again made Evee's heart race and her breath caught in her chest. She could feel his strong hands reform her small delicate ones around the milker. He then covered her hands with his own and demonstrated the amount of force needed to work the machine. As he leaned over her, Evee could feel his hot breath tickle the back of her neck and the sensation sent shivers down her spine. Considering his proximity, Evee was certain that he could hear the quick beating of her heart and this thought made it beat even more rapidly. When Ash removed his hands, Evee was surprised to see that there was quite a bit of milk in the bottle, a lot more than what she was able to get out of Milky, and the cow didn't seem to be bothered at all by the milking process, in fact she looked quite happy. Evee stood up and was relieved when she saw that she was not the only one who was blushing in response to the close contact.

Evee quickly thanked Ash for all of his help and insisted that she did indeed remember how to do it and was sure that she didn't need to be shown again. Evee left the barn at almost a run and headed towards the mountain. After such an encounter, Evee didn't feel capable of interacting with anyone else that day.

As Evee entered into the forested area, she was surprised at how differently it looked at this time of day. Usually she would go into town for a few hours before going into the mountain so her surroundings seemed almost alien. It was as she was pondering these differences when she saw him, the rude young man. He was standing near the stream and Evee, not wanting to be spotted, jumped into a bush to watch him and plan an escape route that didn't involve a confrontation with the person she hated most in the village.

However, as she looked on she saw that he was not alone. He was sitting on an old tree stump and playing with a cute tabby kitten. His bright emerald eyes looked lovingly at the kitten as he tossed a small bell for the creature to entertain itself with. Evee was shocked, was this really the same person who treated me, a newcomer with no friends, with such distain and disregard for my feelings? These thoughts were running through Evee's head when she abruptly shifted her weight and a twig beneath her foot snapped under the added strain. Evee saw that Cam had been startled by the sound since he jumped up from his seat. He was staring right at the bush that Evee was hiding in so when he started to approach she decided there was no avoiding him. She stood and tried to pretend like she had been searching for wild plants.

"Oh, it's _you_, what do you want? Came to bug me some more?"

Cam was sneering at her as he said this and it made his words sting even more. He didn't even know her, how could he be so dismissive?

"Sorry…I was looking for plants…"

"Well look for them somewhere else. I'm here right now and I would appreciate not being disturbed by your clumsiness!"

His harsh words cut Evee and tears began welling in her eyes as she turned around and headed back to Bluebell.

Evee put her animals away early that day. She tried to console herself as she lay in bed that night. How could he be so mean when he didn't even know her? She didn't understand how he could have any friends if he treated people so cruelly. But then Evee realized that maybe he was nice to everyone except her. Was there something wrong with her that made him hate her so much? These thoughts disturbed Evee and that night she fell asleep with a heart full of sorrow and uncertainty.


	4. Sunday, Spring 7, Year 21

Chapter 4

CAM POV

'I can't believe she told Howard.' Cam thought to himself.

Yesterday Evee had come into the café visibly upset and Howard, being both nosey and concerned, forced the truth out of her. It seemed that she was still quite upset about what Cam had said in the forest and she told Howard of the grievances laid against her by the young man.

Howard was shocked. He couldn't believe that Cam, a boy he had been taking care of for the past 10 years would be capable of such a thing. He was so shocked that he left Evee in the café and went to see if Evee's story could be true.

Cam was at his stall when Howard confronted him about his behavior towards Evee.

"Cam, Evee has just told me that you have not been welcoming at all and have been quite rude to her."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Howard. I haven't been rude."

"Well have you been nice to her? She said that you yelled at her in the forest yesterday! Cam, is that true?"

"Well…I didn't mean to yell…But she snuck up on me in the forest and startled me so I might have… Howard, I don't remember every interaction I have with people! Besides, why do you care so much?"

"DO NOT speak to me in that tone young man. NOW, if you were rude to her I expect you to go and apologize to that girl. She is very nice and does not deserve this kind of treatment from you. She is new here and you are making the village look bad by being unwelcoming!"

Howard was visibly furious with Cam now and it was quite a terrifying sight to say the least. Though Howard was usually very gentle and kind, he was still an enormous man who could be very intimidating if he wanted to be. But Cam knew that Howard would never hurt a fly even in this kind of rage.

"No. I will not apologize to her and you can't force me to."

"Oh, really? Well, you may be right about that, but I'll just stop cooking for you and tell Rutger that you will be taking my place in the cooking festival from now on. How does that sound?"

Cam disliked many things, but he loathed having to cook. It was such a simple thing, but Cam just couldn't stand to do it. But what Howard was threatening was not just Cam having to cook for himself, but also for a world renowned judge. This was cruelty in its purest form, but Cam was stubborn.

" FINE, but I'm not apologizing!"

Howard smirked and walked back into his café.

It wasn't until this morning that Cam was really regretting what had gone on between Howard and himself. Last night he had tried to convince himself that apologizing was a much worse form of punishment, but he had forgotten that the cooking festival was coming up. In fact it was today and that was why right now Cam was in the café's kitchen trying to think of a salad he could make. He decided that an Herb salad would be simplest and the making of it would be the least unpleasant when compared to the other salads that he knew how to make. Chamomile and mint were easy to find in the forest during this time of year and he still had some lavender left from the winter that he had been saving for perfume making.

'Oh, well. I suppose this is more important than perfume…' while Cam was thinking this he was also silently cursing Howard and Evee. Howard was making him do this, but none of this would have happened if Evee hadn't been such a cry-baby. If what Cam had said to her had bothered her so much why didn't she confront him about it rather than going running to Howard to tell on him?

These thoughts were going through Cam's head as he was cutting up the herbs for his salad and the thought of Evee's betrayal infuriated him so much that he became careless with his chopping and accidently sliced his hand. This happened right when Howard entered the kitchen to check up on Cam's progress with his salad.

"Oh dear! Here let me get you a bandage!"

Cam knew Howard was still upset with him because despite Howard's kindness in wrapping his hand, he did wrap it quite tightly and his hand throbbed with pain. 'This is all her fault!' Cam thought to himself. 'None of this would have happened if she had never come to this village!' So now with a damaged hand, Cam returned to the kitchen to work on his salad only to discover that it was almost noon.

Cam swore under his breath, he didn't have time to finish his salad properly so he gathered up his herbs and threw them all into a bowl and dashed out the door. The judge wouldn't think much of his salad, but he couldn't be late or Rutger would be upset with him too.

Cam was nearing the outskirts of town when he saw her. It seemed she was running late too… Cam ducked behind a bush so that Evee wouldn't spot him as she headed toward the mountain. Though Cam was itching to stop and confront her about talking to Howard, he decided a potentially awkward and upsetting confrontation wasn't the best idea right now. It would take up valuable time and then he would have to walk with her up the mountain. It was best she didn't know he was there, if he didn't talk to her, he couldn't be mean to her and she couldn't go crying to Howard and get him into more trouble. There it was again, the fact that everyone was upset with him because of _her_. It wasn't fair that this new person who had barely been there for a week could have enough influence to make everyone upset with him. _Why _was he required to be nice to _her_? Who was she? Why does she matter? She was just some new farmer that nobody knew but suddenly she had the whole village under her thumb, well to be fair the whole village minus him and Georgia. But that was just how Georgia was, she would be friends with her by next season, it just took her time to get used to people. Then next season it would just be him and he would be an outcast because of it.

But that was nothing new. Being an outcast. He never really did fit the mold. His mother was a musician so they never stayed in one place for long. He had never had any friends when he was younger and even after his mother died and he went to live with his grandfather, he was never able to make friends. He just wasn't good with people. Besides, he had no real desire for friendship. People didn't understand him, how could they? No one could relate with him and what he had been through. His experiences set him apart and made it difficult for him to be able to relate with anyone and the thought of listening to other people's menial problems just made him feel sick. No, friendship had never really been an option for him.

Though as he thought on the subject of friends, he decided that Ash was probably the closest thing he had ever had had to a friend. Ash could relate with him on some things, he was passionate about animals the way that Cam was passionate about flowers. They had also had a few pleasant conversations about everyday things such as minor troubles with girls and animals. Cam didn't mind Ash he enjoyed listening to him and his views of life. Though Ash would never be able to really understand Cam, Cam still enjoyed having someone to talk to, even if the topic was fairly trivial.

Cam was about halfway up the mountain, he had been trying to stay far enough behind Evee so that she wouldn't notice that he was behind her. If she knew he was there, she might try to walk with him. She seemed like she might be the civil type who would wait for him so that they could walk together. Such an idea made cam uneasy. He might be able to get along okay with Ash, but this girl was a different story. There was no way that they could have anything in common. She seemed to be the popular well-loved type while he knew that people perceived him as the anti-social brooding type. People just didn't understand. How could they and how could she? No. She could never understand. She was too perfect. Her life was too perfect with her new farm already organized and trimmed up. Rutger just gave her everything. 'He didn't give me anything when I came here!'

When Cam came to the village Howard offered him a place to stay, but no one helped him get started with his flower stand. He was the one who had to pay to travel and get the seeds to begin, he was the one who had to locate merchants and books detailing how to grow specific flowers, he was the one who found the right soil to use! No, no one ever helped him. These thoughts enraged Cam, almost enough for him to run after Evee and confront her about being a tattle tale, but she was already at the top of the mountain and giving Rutger her salad. Rutger looked so delighted that she was taking part in the cooking festival it kind of made Cam feel sick to his stomach. Cam picked up his pace when he saw Evee enter into the festival area. Cam presented his herb salad to Rutger, but Rutger had a markedly different reaction to this salad than the one he had received a minute before.

"You're late! And what is _this_?" Rutger asked angrily.

"It's my herb salad, what's wrong with it?" Cam coolly replied.

"Hmm, oh well. It will have to do!" Rutger ushered Cam into the festival. Cam thought his salad looked alright. Well, his herbs weren't cut up as much as they should be, but still at least he entered something. When entered into the festival he saw that he was the last one to arrive. Of course Evee was there and he also saw that Ash was already there too. It seemed he was the third contestant for Bluebell and he had brought potato salad. Potato salad wasn't Cam's favorite, but it looked good and, as much as he hated to admit it, Evee's caprese salad looked okay as well. After seeing the other contestants dishes Cam was suddenly more self conscious of his own entry. 'Whatever, it's not like I volunteered for this anyway. I was forced into it. They should feel lucky that I even came today and didn't leave them without a third contestant. Besides, Ash's mom probably helped him with his salad and Rutger most certainly gave Evee the ingredients for her dish. How else could she have gotten a tomato for her salad?'

As Cam moved closer to the Bluebell contestant table he noticed that Ash and Evee were talking quietly and Evee started to giggle at something Ash had said. Cam was suddenly self conscious. 'Are they talking about me? What is she laughing about?' Cam approached the table and Evee looked up into his face, Cam's heart faltered. 'Were her eyes always that beautiful shade of violet?' He wondered. The other features of her face were equally stunning. She had pale porcelain skin, but her cheeks were flushed giving her a lively, healthy look. As Cam scanned the rest of her face he also noticed her small perfectly shaped mouth, her lips were a dark shade of red, so similar to his roses... Was she wearing lipstick? No, it didn't look like she was. Her lips looked smooth and soft, but it was then that Cam noticed that the beautiful little lips were shaped in a distinct frown. Cam was pulled back to reality. This girl did not like him. Cam replayed the events of the past week in his head. He had been really mean to this girl. Why? What had she actually done to him? Nothing. She had just come to the village and people had liked her. That was all, everyone liked her and was nice to her and that's why he didn't. The village had been nice to her and helped her get started with her new life, and why wouldn't they? The farm had been empty for as long as he could remember, and she looked so small, how was she expected to run that farm all by herself? Cam understood now and he regretted his harsh words. Though, as he looked at Evee, it did not seem like an apology was going to be welcome. Cam moved to stand near Ash.

"Cam, what did you do to Evee? If looks could kill…"

"I know, I might have been a little….uncivil towards her."

"I think that might be an understatement…."

"Shut up, the festival is starting."

They had lost. And by the look of it, Rutger blamed him. The judge had loved Evee's and Ash's salads, but had had no comment on his. 'Whatever, it's just a stupid festival.' At least he had participated. He was leaving the festival when he saw Evee talking with Rutger. He was going to walk with Ash down the mountain, but it looked like Ash had left without him. Was he upset with me too now? Did she tell him what he had said? Cam felt ashamed. How could he have been so mean to her? She was so young, or maybe she just looked young. It was then that it dawned on him, why did she come here? Where was her family? Why would her family allow her to come out to this village all alone? Cam felt terrible. This girl had enough to worry about with her farm and it was wrong of him to have been so mean and make her life more difficult than it already was.

Cam waited by the large oak near the goddess pond for Evee to finish her conversation with Rutger. When she finished he watched her leave the festival area and begin to head down the mountain by herself. Cam ran after her. Evee heard him approach and wheeled about to face him. She looked furious. Her beautiful features were twisted up so that she was almost snarling.

"What do _you_ want? Come to be a jerk and try to blame the loss on me? Well TOO bad, I know it was your fault, your salad looked terrible so don't even try to make me feel bad about my salad!"

Cam froze. Whatever he was expecting it was not that. Her outburst terrified him. His face was furrowed and he looked down at the ground.

"I….I'm sorry." He mumbled.

"What? Speak up! I want to at least be able to hear your insults!"

Cam looked up into her face. It was still twisted with fury.

"I said I'm sorry. I regret the terrible things I said to you and how rude I had been. You didn't do anything to deserve it."

Evee's face softened a little.

"Then why would you ever say such things? Really, there must have been something that inspired such hate to have said those things."

"I… it was nothing, I guess I was a little jealous of you…"

"Jealous of me! Are you serious? Here I am with nothing, no real home, no family and you're _jealous_? You have got to be kidding!"

"No, I was jealous that everyone immediately accepted you into the village They helped you get started on your farm and you have barely been here for a week and you are already friends with half the village and your farm is almost fully restored! ! They were so nice and welcoming to you! Not like when I came here…"

"I would have been accepted into the village if you weren't a part of said village! You made me feel like an outcast! No matter how many people in the village had been nice to me your behavior made me feel like I didn't belong! And as for my farm, it is not even close to being restored! The buildings are all old and almost collapsing! The cottage I live in is so small and there isn't even a shower! It's not that I'm ungrateful for the place, but you make it sound like I was given some palace that just needed a coat of paint!"

"Look! I said I was sorry. I didn't mean for you to feel that way so you can either accept my apology or you can continue feeling like an outcast even though you're far from it!"

Cam was staring intently at Evee as he said this. Evee's eyes were downcast. Cam couldn't read her expression, but suddenly she moved and reached into her bag. She rummaged in her sack for a minute before she pulled out a beautiful white flower and handed it to Cam.


	5. Tuesday, Spring 9, Year 21

I don't know if anyone still reads this, but here is the next chapter.

Chapter 5

Evee woke in a wonderful mood. She felt that she had finally started to fit in in the village now that she was sure that Cam didn't hate her and even Georgia seemed to be warming to her. At the cooking festival Georgia had come up to her to compliment her on her salad despite their loss to Konohana. Everything felt right in the world as she lay in bed for those few moments that morning.

Evee was humming to herself when she finally got out of bed and went about performing her morning chores. But one thing that bothered her as she was leaving her farm to head into the village was the sight of the empty tilled earth near the edge of her property. 'I need to get some more seeds to grow there' she thought to herself. Her marguerites had bloomed and she had picked them so now the earth was empty. 'But what should I put there? Should I buy some more flower seeds from Cam or should I try to grow some vegetables? Where would I even buy vegetable seeds….probably in Konohana…'

As these thoughts went through Evee's head she decided to skip her visit into town for now and to just head straight for the mountain. She knew that the other village lay on the other side of the mountain though she had never been there. Her excitement mounted at the thought of a new adventure filled her mind. She had kind of gotten into a routine in Bluebell and she was ready for something fresh and new!

Evee slowly wandered up the mountain collecting herbs and insects as she went. 'Another beautiful day in paradise' she thought as the fresh morning air filled her lungs. She soon reached the top and realized that she had never wandered on to the other side of the mountain before. She was ready to see what the other village looked like and briskly walked down the other side of the mountain noting that it looked extraordinarily like the Bluebell side...

As she neared the base of the mountain the scenery changed and was distinctly different from Bluebell's. Instead to the beautiful flowering trees that greeted her as she entered Bluebell, she was met with dense bamboo. The intense amount of green that surrounded her made her feel slightly claustrophobic, but she continued on the narrow path until the bamboo forest opened up to a beautiful valley. The sight that lay before her stunned Evee. There were flowering cherry trees throughout the valley that intermingled with eastern style buildings and vast fertile farmland.

Evee wandered down the main path that cut through the main part of the village. As she walked a soft breeze loosened some cherry blossoms which danced through the air on invisible wings. She felt like she was in some sort of paradise. A small gathering of people up a head pulled her mind back to earth and she remembered the reason for this journey. As she drew closer, Evee saw many faces that she did not recognize. 'Oh, right, I don't know anyone in this village…who am I supposed to ask about seeds?…' Her question almost immediately answered itself when she spotted the sharp looking woman who was mayor of this town. 'Oh no, what was her name again?'

"Hello there, Evee. Have you come to enjoy the festivities today?"

"Uh, erm, festivities?"

"Well yes, today is the Cherry Blossom festival here in Konohana."

"Oh, I wasn't aware that you guys had a festival today. I was hoping to buy some seeds…"

"Sorry Evee, but Gombe would be closed today anyway, he's closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. But why don't you stay a while and enjoy the festival with us? You could see some of the many things that this village has to offer that you just cant find over in Bluebell…"

"That's really nice….Mayor, but I really should get back to work.."

"Please, just call me Ina. Feel free to visit anytime Evee, but be aware that prices for goods here would be lower if you lived in the village…"

'Huh? That didn't seem fair that they charge me more just because I don't live in the village, oh well.' Evee looked at her watch, 'oh, well its only 10:30, I guess I can wander a little and check out the village a little'.

Evee walked further down the path and saw what looked like a large farm with a sign above the farmhouse door. 'That must be Gombe's seeds, I'll have to remember that for next time…' She wandered further, slightly lulled by the sweet scent of the cherry blossoms that filled the air. She came to a cute picnic area that was close to a stream. She sat down on the bench and felt the sunlight warm her skin. This village didn't seem real. It felt as though she had wandered into a dream. She grew sleepy in the suns warmth and soft sound of the babbling brook.

Evee yawned as she awoke. Then with a start she sat straight up. She had fallen asleep on that bench! She quickly looked at her watch and saw that it was almost one o'clock. She had to get back to her own village! She had other things to do today!

Evee briskly walked back up the main path that went through the village, she glanced at the people gathered in the town square and wished that she had time to enjoy the flowers some more, but she trudged on ahead.

The cool mountain air helped her wake up some more, but it was still an unseasonably warm day and the heat made her tired. As Evee finally made it to the top of the mountain her stomach let out a low growl. Evee hadn't gone into town that morning so she hadn't had breakfast. 'I'll have to stop off and have lunch at Howard's café.'

Evee left the mountain behind her and was making her way into town something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She quickly turned to see Ash running up to her.

"Hey Evee! Where have you been, I was looking for you at the café this morning…"

This statement confused Evee, 'why would Ash be at the café, surely his mom would make him breakfast so he wouldn't have to buy it…'

"Oh, umm hey Ash. I didn't have breakfast at the café this morning. I went Konohana to try to buy some seeds instead."

"Evee! You need to eat breakfast to keep your strength up. You must be hungry.."

Evee's stomach responded to this with a resounding growl. Evee blushed and then shrugged.

"Well, not eating saves a little money…"

"Nonsense, here lets go to the café for some lunch, it's on me today, okay?"

Ash smiled warmly. Then reached out his hand and enveloped hers. His touch was firm, yet gentle and he led her through town, past the flower shop and into the café. As she was being led into the café, Evee saw Cam tending his shop. His expression was down cast.

"Why hello there Ash and Evee! I missed you this morning!"

"Hi Howard" They responded together.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here this morning Howard, I went over to Konohana to try to buy some vegetable seeds, but the shops weren't open…"

"Oh, well that's too bad dear! You should just stick with flowers anyway; your farm looks so lovely with flowers growing around it. That and you can buy the seeds right here in town!"

"Yea, I guess I'll have to buy some seeds from Cam today"

At this point Ash interrupted and ordered food for the both of them to share. For a second Evee had forgotten he was there, but now that she was aware of his presence she noted how close his stool was to hers. She had never been this close to him before out in public. As she inhaled she noticed that he had a distinct scent. He didn't smell bad like you may expect being around farm animals all day, but rather it was a pleasant earthy scent, like summer time just after the rain. It was a scent that made her feel comfortable, almost like…coming home.

"Hey, Evee, you ok? You look like you might pass out…"

"Oh, um, sorry…I guess my mind was just wandering a bit. Do you come to the café often?"

"Well, um, no, I don't actually."

A slight tinge of red crossed Ash's cheeks and he looked a little sheepish as he answered the question. This didn't stop Evee from questioning him further.

"Oh, well what made you come this morning if you noticed that I wasn't here?"

Ash blushed fully at that question.

"Uh…well, hrmm" he stammered.

Luckily he was saved by the arrival of their food.

"Here Evee, eat up, you look famished."

Their date concluded and as they were parting ways at the entrance to the café Ash leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. The kiss caught Evee off guard and she was barely quick enough to look up to see that Ash's face was red before he turned and walked through the town square, heading back to his family's farm. Evee blushed as well. It was a nice kiss, so soft and warm, or were her cheeks just warm now after the kiss? Evee's head swam, did she really like Ash? She wasn't sure about her feelings for him, but at least he was always nice to her and he was always so helpful…

Dazed, Evee slowly walked towards the flower stall and began to peruse the seeds without really thinking about what she was going to buy….

A man roughly clearing his throat nearby snapped Evee out of her daydream. It was Cam. Why did he look so angry? She thought they had finally become friends.

"Evee, I only have 2 kinds of flower seeds right now. It cant be that hard of a decision."

Rudeness again? Really?

"Well I would like to buy some of the carnations but I don't have enough money to get 5 seeds worth so I'm trying to figure out what I can afford. Besides you should be grateful for the business! I never see anyone else at this flower shop!"

Cam recoiled and took step backwards. He looked quite stunned and maybe a little scared.

Evee was embarrassed.

"Uhm, sorry. I guess I'll take 3 carnation seeds and 2 marguerite…"

Cam regained his dark stance when he pulled up the seeds she requested.

"1020 gold…please."

Evee handed over the cash and grabbed her seeds. As she was whirling about and preparing to make a swift escape Cam had managed to quickly come up behind her and he grasped her hand firmly.

"Wait Evee, I'm sorry…"

"Cam. I just don't get you. One minute you're the biggest jerk in the village then I think I've finally won you over as a friend and now today you're back to being the same cold, rude jerk you were before! Maybe I should stop trying to be your friend because there is no way that I can keep up with your mood swings!"

Hot tears were now flowing down Evee's cheeks. That always happened when she got mad or overly upset and it just made her even angrier. Evee pulled her hand out of Cam's grasp and attempted to storm off, but once again she felt herself pulled back, this time harder.

Cam had a hold of her arm now and pulled her around to face him. Still having a rough hold of her arm, he grasped her other arm and pulled her in close to him. He kissed her passionately. It was warm and smooth. Evee felt her lips move against his, fully giving in to the temptation. When she finally came to her senses she quickly pulled away. 'How dare he kiss me?!'

Angrier than ever and now being ruled by raw emotion she slapped him, full in the face. Slightly embarrassed by this outburst and coming to the realization that their raised voices had drawn many wandering eyes, Evee whirled about and ran home as fast as she could.


End file.
